When a smile disappeares
by Solace-Flower
Summary: Naruto is feeling unappreciated. But when he leaves Konoha, he runs into a certain red eyed fire demon his life changes forever. NarutoYu Yu Hakusho fic
1. hurting

**What would happen if Naruto meet Hiei? What would they do to each other? Kill? Talk? Train? Ignore? What kind of influence would they have on each other, or rather what influence would Hiei have on Naruto? And what similarities do they have? **

It was the first time it ever happened. The strangest feeling to Naruto. He had never truely felt rage before, until now. It was the first time his smile had ever faultered. His sly fox grin had dissappeared in an instant.

Naruto awoke that day feeling as normal as he could be. He had himself a cup of ramen, did some stretching and excersize, then got dressed. But today, he didn't wear his trademark orange jacket and pants. No, today he felt like wearing just a simple pair of faded jeans, a black muscle shirt, and a pair of black shoes. He didn't wear his headband on his forehead today either, he wore it around the upper part of his left arm. He even took the time to brush his hair! And he found it quite surprising that it didn't stick up as much as it did when it wasn't brushed. It actually fell softly around his face and parcially over his right eye.

_'I should take the time to dress more often, instead of rushing...'_ he thought, impressed by the quick change he had gone through. He checked himself in the mirror one more time before exiting his home and setting off down the street to school. Hands in his pockets he calmly walked past the many shops and houses full of people. Many of them glared or just simply stared at him. But Naruto brushed them off without a second thought. He was used to the torment and rejection, he had been with it all his life. But after Naruto rescued Sasuke, the village seemed to have turned their hatred on him more then usual.

As he sat down at his usual seat at table seven, he ignored all the curious glances he got from his fellow students by his new attire, and thought. Nither of them cared. Nither Sakura nor Sasuke even agknowledged what he did. Sakura didn't even think twice of Naruto. She didn't even care that he was dieing, and Sasuke was only unconcious with a few scratches. She didn't care about her other team member at all. And Sasuke didn't say thank you either. He just continued to ignore Naruto and call him a loser. A letter, a breif postcard, even a mumbled thank you would have been fine. But no, not one single agknowledgment from anyone. But he still kept up with his normal greetings in the morning and goodbyes in the afternoon. At least Naruto had manners. (WOAH! Never thought i'd ever write that!)

And speaking of his team members, they sat down next to him. Sakura was on his right and Sasuke was on her other side.

"Good morning Sakura-chan!" he said with a smile. But she turned her back on him and started to try and get Sasuke to talk to her. He didn't know what it was about today, but something about it was making him very angry indeed. He glared at the back of her head as she continued to ignore him. His teeth barred slightly as a very low growl escaped his throat. Behind him Shikamaru and Ino watched him with wide eyes. Then without warning, he raised a fist and brought it down hard on the table, causing it to shake violently.

"Baka-onna I was talking to you! The least you could do is humor me!" He shouted angerly. Everyone watched him with wide eyes and dropped jaws. But none were as shocked as the other members of team seven. It took Sakura a moment to realize that he was talking to her when he called her a stupid girl.

"Whats your problem, Naruto?" Sasuke asked.

"I've had it! I'm tired of being mister nice guy and getting nothng in return!" He stood from his seat so quickly he knocked his chair to the floor. As he stomped up the stairs to the door, Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-sensei entered the room.

"Where are you going Naruto?" Iruka asked.

"I'm taking the day off, see you tomarrow," he replied. His voice was colder then Sasuke's could ever be, which shocked them to no end.

"You can't just leave! We have a mission!" Kakashi said grabbing Naruto by the upper arm and turning him around. Though he let go the instant he saw Naruto's eyes. They were black with rage, his brow knitted together, and his teeth barred. He was so entranced that he didn't know what was happening until he was at the bottom of the stairs in a heap on the ground. The back of his neck ached as he looked up at the angery blond above him. Naruto lowered his raised fist and shouted.

"FUCK YOU, KAKASHI!" He turned around and reopened the door then slammed it behind him. The nearest window to the door shattered, causing glass to fly everywhere.

The class erupted in whispers as Iruka helped a wide eyed Kakashi off the floor, who was clutching his jaw in pain.

"What just happened Kakashi?" Iruka asked quietly.

"I think I have an idea..." he replied.

No one noticed the eyes of the pink haired Kunoichi-in-training. Sakura was very near to crying. There was very little happiness in the Ninja school of Konoha. But one boy always held up the spirits. Naruto always held enough happiness for everyone three times over. Though she would never addmit it openly, Sakura always enjoyed his playful nature. She always looked forward to coming to school, very tired and cranky, then seeing his sly grin made her feel very awake and ready for the day. He was like her morning coffee, so full of energy and warmth.

But now that's all gone, and it was her fault. He had never been angery at her before, never. Naruto may never act the same towards her ever again. Or he may never come back at all! A single tear slid down her cheek as she ran her fingers gently over the smooth glossy wooden table then traced the outline of the dent that naruto had made.

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Naruto sat at his regular stool at the Ramen Shop, seathing about what happened only 30 minutes ago. He was still very angery, his breath was irregular and was now ripping his poor defenceless napkin to shreds.

Hey, Naruto! The usual chicken with shrimp?"

Naruto looked up at the woman in front of him. Her name was Yuri Takunachi, owner of the Ramen shop. She had short light brown hair and blueish hazel eyes. And in her mid-thirties she was very kind and sweet, a motherly figure. She was usualy thin but she had just recently turned very round due to the baby she was expecting.

"Whats the matter? I've never seen you this upset before." She asked, this time her voice was filled with worry.

"It's nothing..."

"Naruto, I know when your lying to me..." He sighed in defiet knowing that it was pointless to fight it.

So he told her everything that was bugging him. Everything about Sasuke and Sakura and everyone else that had gotten on his nerves.

"Oh Naruto, don't let it get to you. I'm sure that they'll come around soon enough!" She said once he was done. He smiled to himself, she always new what to say to make him feel better. Then after a few minutes he got up and left the shop to find something else to do. But he found that he ate a little to much and decided to work it off.

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"Alright everyone, what happened?"

Kakashi stood in front of a now silent, and very uncomfortable, class. None moved, spoke, or blinked. All was silent.

That is until a very brave Shikamaru raised his hand and told them what he saw, keeping his eyes on the ground.

After a very breif cunsulting with one another Iruka and Kakashi decided on a plan.

"Alright, something is very wrong with Naruto...well, more then usual. But he could get himself into serious trouble if he keeps acting this way. So, were going to split you into two-man teams. You will be assigned to different areas of the village to find him. If you do see him you will follow him unseen and try to find out whats wrong with him, but if he gets into trouble, get him and bring him back here. Kakashi will be searching the mountains behind the village while I go to the places that Naruto normally stays, like his home... or the Ramen Shop. In about an hour, report back here and tell us what you found. Alright... team one is..." Iruka's voice faded from Kakashi's mind as he called out the teams and the areas of the village. His eyes flickered back and forth between the shattered window and the dent in the table as his mind wandered back to Narutos face just before he left. His eyes were darker, colder then Sasuke's, as though death pased behind them. His face contorted with rage and fury like kakashi had never seen before.

_'Could this be the work of Kyuubi?'_ he thought before Sakura's voice rang out.

"Iruka-sensei, what about Sasuke and I?" Kakashi snorted slightly.

"You two, will patrol the school in case he comes back. If he does, ring the school gong to signal the rest of us. But while your waiting, you will try to think of any _other_ reasons why Naruto would be fealing angry or unapriciated. Do I make myself clear?" He said, giving them both a very serious look.

"Crystal, sir..."


	2. I'll come back

Hinata stood perched on the edge of a roof with her toes hanging over the sides. Her pale eyes scanned hurriedly through the crowd below for any sign of Naruto. What happened earlier scared Hinata, she was scared of what he would do to himself in his condition. About thirty feet from her, peeking out through the leaves in a tree, was her partner Gaara. He glanced at her before jumping down from his perch and onto the roof across from hers. He motioned for her to follow him along the street. She ran after him, jumping from roof to roof hoping to spot Naruto along the way.

Suddenly she caught site of sleek blonde hair moving towards the main entrance of Konoha.

"Gaara!" she called to him. He looked to where she was pointing and nodded. Soon both of them were in hot persuit of their blonde ally.

_'Where does that idiot think he's going! He can't be running away can he?'_ thought Gaara as he hid behind the nearest tree.

"hmmmm..." he mused.

Naruto was just on the other side of the gatway... before Hinata ran after him.

"Naruto! W-wait, where are you going?" she called, feeling tears brim her eyes. He turned and watched her stop in front of him.

"Y-your not running away are you?"

Naruto's eyes were calm as he closed them and turned upward to look at the sky. He frowned hard against the sun's rays.

"I have to, I just need to get away from here for awhile. But i'll come back," he turned back to face her. "...eventually."

Hinata gasped as he turned once again, and started down the path. Within a minute or so, he was gone.

"Where is he going?" came Gaara's voice from behind her.

"...I-I don't know..." Hinata couldn't supress the sadness that had been growing inside her. With a cry she fell to her knees and let the tears flow freely from her eyes. Head bent down, hands covering her face, tears dripping from between her fingers.

Gaara was slightly taken aback by Hinata's actions. He wasn't sure what to do, whether to go and comfort her or just give her some time alone. So instead, he just stood there and and listened to her cries echo in the trees. He thought that maybe just having his presence there with her was enough.

"Gaara, whats going on!" a voice called from behind him. He turned and saw Ino and Shikamaru. Ino saw Hinata on the ground and ran to her, wrapping her arms around the small girl. She pulled her close and rubbed her back while gently saying, "shhhhhh, it's okay."

Ino was truely the only person who knew Hinata's feelings for Naruto. She often caught her staring at him with a small blush tinting her pale cheeks. She never told anyone, but she thought that the whole thing was very sweet. She never would have thought that any girl would ever fall for Naruto.

"C'mon you guys we have to go tell Iruka and Kakashi what happened," Shikamaru said.

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Sakura walked along the stone path in the courtyard while Sasuke was patroling elsewhere. For the last hour she had been very deep in thought as to why Naruto was acting so strange.

_'Not strange, angry... I - I actually thought he was going to hurt me. I've never been so scared of Naruto before,'_ she corrected herself.

"Other reasons why he would be unapriciated... but what has he done for anyone lately?" she said outloud to no one inpeticular. "Well, he did save Sasuke, didn't he? He almost died for it... wh-while Sasuke was only partly hurt... _gasp_ Oh no!"

And as if on que, Sasuke himself turned the corner and walked towards her. Sakura waited as he drew nearer.

"Anything?" she asked. He shook his head.

"What about you?" she shook her head as well. He nodded and continued to walk until he passed her. Sakura waited for perhaps a moment then turned.

"Sasuke!" she said. He turned and faced her once more.

"You know how Naruto saved you and all, right?" He narrowed his eyes, but nodded all the same. "Well... did you ever thank him?"

Sasukes eyes widened, and slowly shook his head.

"No, no I didn't..."

Sakura slumped to the ground and felt tears come to her eyes.

"How could we do that to him? How could we treat him that way!

Bust before he could answer, he felt four familiar chakra's near by. And then waited as Hinata, Gaara, Shikamaru, and Ino emerged from around the opposite corner.

"He's gone!"

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Naruto sat at the bottom of a large tree, with his back against the thick trunk. A small amount of sweat had formed on his brow. He had been running for perhaps a few hours an had decided to take a rest. Had had eventually grew tired of running along the same path and cut through the trees instead. So now he was in the middle of a clearing next to a small lake. He opened his eyes and watched to calm water. A fish jumped. And another.

Earlier he had felt the strange presence of something in the area, it had lingered there for a moment or two then dissapeared quickly. But now he had the strangest feeling he was being watched by something. And it was definatly something big. He didn't move a muscle since it had appeared. He continued to watch the water. The minescule waves washed up the bank of sand as a single ripple formed on the glossy surface.

"hmmm..." he mused as he casually took out four of his Shuriken's. He pretended to fiddle with them in bordom for a moment. Another single ripple formed. Then another. Then a third. The feeling he was being watch grew.

Finally he couldn't take it anymore, he jumped up and threw his Shurikens. As they left his hand, they faned out into different directions then turned and shot directly at the same point on the water. And almost immediately, the waters surface broke as a giant green creature erupted from it's depths.

What ever it was, it looked as though it were a cross between a dragon and a snake. It's long slithering body was covered in emerald and sea green scales and it's great belly was a deep blue. It's long arms were accented with long sharp black talons that were almost as wide as Naruto's whole body. It had a great pointed head with long sharp fangs and, from what Naruto could tell, piercing yellow eyes. And just behing its head were sharp spikes that went all the way down its spine.

The creature roared and sweyed in agony. Naruto looked more closly and saw that one of his Shurikens hit it in the forhead, one directly in the left eye, and another at the base of its jaw. He figured the last one missed it's target.

"You will pay for striking me!" it roared. It's voice was deep and booming. And it seemed to echo through the trees. He lunged at the blonde, in an attempt to swallow him whole. Naruto reached for more of his blades, but the next thing he new, he was in a tree.

"What the hell...!" he said.

The sound of the creatures massive jaws hitting the ground reached him. And again, and again, and again? He peaked through that leaves to see what was happening. The creature had turned it attention on something else, now with three large gashes across it's body. And not more then ten feet from it, was a boy.

He was no taller then Naruto, except his black hair that stood in peakes. He had red eyes and was dressed in all black, save for the white coller. And in his hand he held a katana, which was covered in thick oozing blood.

Naruto barely caught a glimps of the boy, before he dissapeared and reappeared behind the demon and sliced it's head compleately off.

_'How did he do that!'_ he thought.


	3. Stand up for yourself

**-- Authors note: I've got a question for all you readers out there, should this be a Yaoi or not? If not, then should there be any relationship at all, or just have it be about how much Naruto's changed? Anyway, there is alot of talking in this one, just so you know. Just introducing the two to each other. Enjoy. **

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Naruto looked thoroughly confused. Never had he seen such speed, or power, before. This boy wasn't your average everyday ninja.

The guy sheathed his Katana, and looked down at the now dead creature in disgust.

Naruto hesitated for a moment, This guy was giving off the same strange energy that he had earlier felt before it dissappeared. He thought about it and decided he wasn't going to just sit there all day, then jumped from the tree and landed perfectly on the ground. The guy looked at him with an inquiring glare. Naruto almost shivered under his intence stare.

"Who are you?" he finally asked, no longer being able to stand the silence. The boy glared harder.

"Hn..." was all he said before he vanished. Naruto almost shouted in surprise before he was hit very hard in the back of the neck, and soon fell into unconsiousness.

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When he reawakened, Naruto felt very queasy. He had the feeling he was being carried over someones shoulder, but the person was moving very fast. He opened his eyes and yelped loudly thinking he was blind, but soon found that it was mearly a blindfold.

"Awake already? Hn," his kidnapper said in a very bored tone.

"Who are you? And why am I blindfolded!" Naruto shouted.

"Hn."

"Answer me dammit!" He shouted.

"You needn't know where were going. Not yet." Hiei replied.

"NO! Who the hell are you and where are you taking me?!"

Several moments of silence passed until Naruto was sure that he wasn't going to speak again.

"Hiei," was all he said.

Naruto sighed and sat there helpless. He new that there was no chance of him escaping, not with how fast Hiei could catch him. What has he gotten himself into?

The minutes krept by slowly as Naruto hung there, bobing up and down opon Hiei's shoulder. And while he waited, he thought about all that had happened earlier that morning, from when woke up to where he was now. It was a big step and a big risk for Naruto to finally step up for himself and leave Konoha for all that its done to him.

_'Whoa...'_ he thought suddenly. Leaving Konoha makes him a fugitive. Which means it wouldn't be long before the Anbu came after him... _'Shit...'_

"I will tell you one thing boy. Where i'm taking you, you'll need to stand up fpr yourself. You will get walked all over. And i dont mean in the way that the fools that you lived with did. Because this time your not stronger the everyone else." Hiei stated still jumping from tree to tree.

"Well... I want my recognition to come from the heart, not to be forced." Naruto replied, earning a 'hn' from Hiei. Then after a moment he perked up again.

"HEY! Wait a minute! How in the hell did you know about that! And what did you mean by me being stronger then them?" he shouted. He waited for an answer for a few moments.

"Your a demon, are you not?" Hiei replied causing Naruto to freeze.

"H-how did you know about that?" he asked shaking.

"...Because i'm a demon too." He froze again, petrified.

"W-what! Thats... imposible! No one can be a demon!"

"Oh? And what does that make you?" Hiei said with the slightlest amount of amusment in his voice.

"That's different, the Kyuubi was sealed inside me when I just born! So that it wouldn't destroy the village." Naruto shouted, struggling against Hiei's firm grip. But to no avail.

"The Nine Tailed Fox? Hmm..... I knew I senced fox demon in you but Kyuubi is a different story." Hiei said, resuming his bored tone.

"What do you mean?" Hiei sighed in annoyance.

Hiei said nothing.

Naruto blinked against the blindfold.

_'UUGH. What have I gotten myself into???'_ He thought.

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Night had fallen a few hours ago, and Naruto had long since fell asleep. Which Hiei thought truely amazing due to the uncomfortable position he was in.

_'He could sleep through a war, this one,'_ he thought. _'Hn.'_

He finally came to a stop at the edge of a cliff. And there down in the center of the great valley below was a rather large castle. Hiei stopped to admire the it for a moment. Just behind the castle was a large waterfall that came down from the opposite side of the valley and strait into the giant lake, and next to that was the training grounds. The lake was lined with flower bushes and willow tree's making it look very beautiful. But this was nothing compared to the castle itself. It was wasn't a very tall stone castle like it would normally be, but it was actually rather short and made of a fine wood. It was only three floors high and covered ALOT of ground. Now, this doesn't seem like the best hideout for theives now is it. What with being so open and everything. But what makes this seem so ironic, is that it's the perfect hideout! On the first story, just underneath the wood flooring of the entire castle is seven feet of solid steel. And in every room, there is one, maybe two, area's in with there is a small steal doorway that is compleatly hidden in the floor. So in case of an attack, which has still yet to happen, each member of the band can simply open the hatches, slip inside and blot it shut from the other end. Then they jump down into an underground passagway which leads all the way under that lake and into the mountain near the waterfall which opens up into and underground cave which is also where they keep ALL of their stolen goods. But for those who are in the upper floors, each room is spaced apart by about three feet. So all they have to do is open up a secret door way in the wall and follow the stairway that also leads to the underground passage. Hiei _still_ thought this was all truely amazing even after the many years he has lived there, although he never showed it.

He heaved a great sigh and started down the hidden path along the side of the cliff. Occasionally he would jump down a few twenty feet or so, just to speed up the process. Then when he was about a hundred feet from the ground, he jumped into a nearby tree and jumped from tree to tree until he reached the balcany of his room. It was there that he passed through the open glass doors and into him home. His room was basically black and red, just very dark. He walked over to his bed and placed Naruto into it's comforting embrace. He removed the boys shoes and before covering him with the silk comforter. And then he undid all bindings around his wrist and ankles and then the blind fold. When he was finished he walked over his door. But before he opened it, he whispered something to the sleeping boy.

"Sleep while you can, because when you awake your life may take a turn for the worst..."

He opened the door and walked out.


	4. not human

**Alrighty! I finally got the fourth one out! Ok, I've seriously thought it over, and I have decided to make it a Yaoi fic. Now for those of you who don't like Yaoi, relax this isn't going to be an 'over-the-top' story where it's really obvious about what's going to happen.It will be subtle, and almost undetectible, but it will be there. But I'm having trouble with deciding as to whom I shall set Naruto up with. Which is where you guys come in! please review me and tell me who you want. K? I love you guys! Tootles.

* * *

**

Not far off from Konoha, a figure was walking at a steady pace towards the unsuspecting village. He was tall, thin, but at the same time rather muscular. He wore a pair of black karate pants that were ripped halfway between the ankle and the knee. A dark green Karate shirt that was open all the way, revealing a bare chest, with ripped sleaves to just below the elbow. Bandages were wrapped around his arms, from his knuckles to his upper arms. And also around his ankles, to his knees. Around his weist, was a custom made katana and around his right thigh was a bag of Shurikens and Kunai's. Covering his nose, eyes, and basically the entire lowerhalf of his mouth was a mask. The same type of mask that ancient demon slayers wore, to protect themselves from dangerous gases, fumes, and poisons. But to those who have ever looked apon him, were somewhat glad that it didn't cover his eyes. They were the most beautiful (or frightful) shade of amber, or some called them a copper/ gold color. Sharp and clear as crystal, they seemed to look right into, and possibly right through, your soul. But what made them even more interesting, was that the pupils were vertical slits, similar to a cat. They seemed to glow from under the hood of the thick black cape he was wearing. Which was probibly a good thing, because he would attract alot of unwanted attention from what lies underneath.

He was currently frowning at nothing inpeticular. But he just couldn't seem to shake the last words that were said to him by a certain fire demon he knew.

* * *

_'Remember Naruto, don't get comfortable over there. Humans have an unpenetrable fear of demons, so don't go showing off. A most importantly don't let them control you!'

* * *

_

"I remember Hiei..." he muttered to himself.

_'It was almost as if he was worried about me...'_ he thought. He had always wondered why Hiei treated him so nicely when he first met him. Hiei was cold and uncaring. FAR more uncaring then Sasuke could ever be. When he first met him, Naruto thought that he didn't give two shits about anyone but himself. But when he asked Yoko about it, the kitsune only told him, "There is much that I don't know or understand about Hiei. But I respect him and I stay loyal to him, because he respects me as well. And that is enough... He had his reasons for helping you, just give him some time and you'll see what I mean." These words stayed in his mind for the entire four years that he was gone. And he still didn't get it! Of cource Hiei was loyal, but what else was there to the guy!

He didn't linger on those thoughts for very long though, because just over the tops of the trees, he could see the top of the village gate. But he kept his pace the same. He just wasn't in a big hurry to get there. It's not as though he wasn't happy to be home after four years of being gone. It's just that, he had seen his funeral and knew what it was going to be like when everyone found out that he was alive after all. Hokage Tsunade, Iruka, Kakashi, Sakura, Sasuke, Hinata, Shikamaru, Ino, Gaara, and Konohamaru. Those are all the people that attended his funeral. Out of about 300 people, only 9 had the decency to show up. Only the people that knew him, loved him, and saw him for that last time.

He paused for a moment, then jumped into a tree. Then jumped onto the next one, and the next one, and the next one. He did this until he was mearly twenty feet from the village. He saw the gate thirty feet to his right. He didn't want to have to do this, but he had no choice, his I.D. had expired. And with and effortless leap, he cleared to top of the wall, and entered the village. He landed on top of a building, no one had noticed him yet. It was then that he noticed the entire village was decorated in a splendorous manor. Music and the sounds of people celebrating reached his ears.

_'What's going on?' _he thought in confusion. Crawling to the edge of the roof he was on, he peaked down into the street. Men drinking, women gossiping, boys oggling girl, girl oggling boys. All of this seemed very familiar to him, but he couldn't place it. He stood up and jumped to another building, still no one noticed him. He didn't have time to wonder why they were celebrating, he had to see Hokage. His speed increased to the point where he was nothing more then a black blur. And within seconds, he was sitting outside Tsunade's office. He hesitated on the tree branch he was sitting on, but finally looked in the open window.

And there she sat, Tsunade the Fifth hokage. She was currently frowning at a paper she was working on. She looked highly frustrated, which caused Naruto to wonder if this was the best time to talk to her.

_'No! I have to do this now. This can't wait.'_ he told himself. He'll just have to wait for the right moment. Suddenly, Tsunade paused in her work. Tears brimmed her eyes. She threw her pen onto her desk and buried her face into her hands.

"I promised myself I wouldn't cry anymore! Especially on this day," she scolded herself. "But I can't help it, I miss him to much."

Naruto felt a pang of guilt hit his heart. He had a feeling she was talking about him. More tears leaked from between her fingers. She slumped down buried her head into her arms.

"You would be sixteen today Naruto..." she cried. "A strong young man, well on his way to be the next Hokage!"

_'OMFG, I forgot my own Birthday! That's right, i'm sixteen now... Awesome!'_ he cheered in his mind. But then immediately went back to watching his beloved Hokage. She was still crying... and now was his chance.

He gracfully jumped from his perch and landed cat-like on the floor. Careful not to make a sound, he stood and tiptoed over to her. He hesitated for a moment but then reached out and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. She jumped and stood up from her desk, while instinctivly grabbing his wrist.

"Who the hell are you? And why are you here?" she demanded. Naruto didn't answer, instead he slowly reached up and took hold of the wrist that held his own. He squeezed and pulled at it, until he began to cut off the circulation to her hand. She gasped at the pain and finally let go. But she was quick to counter. In a flash she had him pinned to the wall with a Kunai to his neck.

"Answer me dammit! What buisiness do you have here?" She repeated, tears still streaming down her face. This time Naruto got a little more forceful. He grabbed both her wrist's and forced them away from him, overpowering her, but did nothing else. He gently lowered them and held them together in his own, as though embracing them. He looked softly into her own eyes, trying to tell her it was alright without words. He slowly walked her backward and sat her down in her chair, eyes never leaving hers. He kneeled down in front of her and took her hands in his once more. She seemed confused, and frightened, as though not sure what to expect.

"Tsunade... I hope that you can forgive me for not coming sooner." he pleaded. She looked at him with more confusion.

"W- who are you?" she asked again. Naruto swallowed the ever growing lump in his throat. He reached up and gently pulled away his mask. And there she saw them. Three black whisker stripes graced his fair skin. Her eyes widened, her whole body rooted to her chair.

"It can't be... Naruto?" she breathed. He slowly nodded. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she brought her hands up to her mouth.

"Oh, Naruto..." she cried. He wrapped his arms around her, trying to keep her from falling.

Then without warning, he felt a sharp blow to his stomach. He let go of her and saw that she was glaring at him.

"What the Hell happened to you, Brat!" she yelled hitting him some more. "We all thought you were dead!" Naruto let out a sigh. He had thought that she was attacking him for another reason.

"Tsunade ...ouch... will you stop hitting me and listen!" he cried from her deadly blow's.

"Why should I! Give me a reason why I shouldn't kill you?"

"Because I'm not human anymore!"


	5. Student vs Master

**I think they need to put a time limit on when you need to update, cause I totally blew this off for way longer then I should have! Yeah anyway, I still havn't decided on whether or not to make it a Yaoi... hmmmm? I need more suggestions from you guys. And I don't mean _'No Yaoi please, that's just wrong'_ ... actually give me a good reason, and possibly some alternatives? I also need some idea's on what else should be written in the story. Evil bad guys/demons, hilarious Hiei antics, wise words from Yoko, fights between Naruto and old classmates? Come on guys, help me out! Tootles!

* * *

**

Tsunadestepped away from him, eyes wide, knowing instantly what he ment. Slumping back down into her chair she buried her face in her hands. He waited patiently, watching her closely. She heaved a great sigh.

"Tsunade, please listen -"

"Show me." she interupted seriously, her face emerging, watching him with hard eyes.

"W-what?"

"I wan't to see it, show me your power, show me that you have control." she demanded again. He swallowed in responce.

"Tsunade... I don't know-" but he was interrupted again.

"Naruto, if you don't have compleat control over your powers then I can't allow you to stay in Konoha!

"...fine," he answered, looking away. Tsunade smiled lightly and looked towards the door.

"Guard!" she called. One emerged from the door. He eyed Naruto suspiciously, for he had not seen him come in.

"Yes Hokage?" he asked.

"Please send for Iruka, Kakashi, Sakura Haruno, and Sasuke Uchiha. And tell them to meet me at the training grounds right away." She ordered.

"Yes Hokage," he said and left. Naruto raised his eyebrows at her.

"It's best if you tell them all at once," she said, answering his unasked question. "Well, shall we go?"

He nodded and crouched down on one knee, "Hop on." She obieyed and Naruto jumped out the window with her on his back.

* * *

Sakura sat at the bar of the Ramen shop, Sasuke was on her left, Kakashi and Iruka on her right. Every year on this day, the day that the Kyuubi was finally gone and the same day of Naruto's birth, the four of them would come and have a celebratory cup of Ramen. He would be sixteen, along with her and Susuke. She still cried whenever this time of year came. It killed her inside to know that she never got to say goodbye. And the fact that the reason he left was her fault.

Iruka and Kakashi were exchanging small talk, Sasuke was quiet as usual, Sakura however was turned around in her seat, having already finished her ramen, and was observing the other occupants of the shop. It wasn't very busy today, seeing as almost everyone was out celebrating. Only about eight other people, having a nice lunch.

Then suddenly, six people entered the shop. Each of them was dressed in a dark green cloak that covered their entire body and they all had their hoods up, sheilding there faces from view. They were somewhat creepy. Sakura's eyes narrowed as they walked up to each person and talked to them. She tugged onto Kakashi's sleave.

"Sensei, who do you suppose they are? I've never seen them before," she asked. Kakashi, as well as Iruka and Sasuke, turned and followed her gaze.

"Thats a good question, i've never seen them before either," Iruka added.

"I don't know, but I already don't like them," Kakashi replied. Suddenly the one who appeared to be the leader, he had a silver and green brooch on his cloak that the others did not, spotted them staring. He smirked and made him way towards them. T'was then that Kakashi noticed how awkwardly they all moved. They seamed to shuffle, limp, and bend at odd angles all at once. It was really weird. They stopped just a few steps away from the four of them.

"Excuse me, we're looking for sssssomeone that was said to be in thissss area," the leader said. His voice was raspy and harsh, and made a sort of hissing niose every time he cam to the letter 's'. "A ssssstrange boy around the age of ssssixteen, answerssss to the name of Kit. He'sssss not that hard to misssssss. If you ssssssee him pleassssse tell usss." And with that, they turned and hobbled out of the shop.

"Weird..." Sakura said while a shiver went up her back. The other three nodded in agreement.

"Do you think we should follow them?" Sasuke finally asked. Kakashi was about to reply when one of the Hokage's personal guards approached them, apparently unaware of the six visitors.

"Hokage would like the four of you to meet her at the training grounds immeadiatly," he informed them and walked away. Iruka sighed.

"Well, looks like we'll have to wait 'till after we talk to Hokage. C'mon everyone, lets go." he said ushering them all out the door.

* * *

Tsunade stood crouched on the ground, panting like a dog. Sweat dripped down her forhead and neck. Naruto stood a few feet away from her, as though he had not been affected at all. They had been sparing for little over twenty minutes non-stop with no pause inbetween. Normally Hokage could handle this no problem because most of her opponents were weaker then her and would crack under the intencity. But not Naruto, he stood there as though he hadn't faught at all.

"Your good Brat. In fact I'm sure your better than me now. I'm impressed," she said. Naruto blushed and looked away. Tsunade never complimented him like that before. She usually yelled at him to do better or try harder.

_'Hmmm, maybe she'll let me stay--'_ his thoughts were cut short when he felt a sharp blow to his stomach _again_ and was sent flying through the air over the tops of the trees and dissappeared from Tsunade's sight. And as he flew he could vaguely hear her saying something along the lines of, "But not good enough. Never let your guard down Brat!"

He hit a tree very hard and fell to the ground. After a moments he let out a groan and lifted himself off the ground and looked up. And there hanging on a tree branch, was his cloak. He sweat dropped.

"Oh, perfect... what else could go wrong?" he asked to no one inpeticular when he saw the large rip in the back. There was a very good reason he wore his cloak. Poking through the top of his jet black hair was two small black fox ears. And extending from the seat of his pants was a long black fox tail. And now he wouldn't be able to hide it. He was just about to go on a swearing rampage when something made his heart stop. A blood curtling scream erupted from the clearing where he left Tsunade. But what made his body shiver, was the fact that it sounded exactly like Sakura.


	6. Not dead

**OMG! When was the last time I updated?...oh geez... yeah wow I need to stop getting grounded... Ok for those of you who have already read my story, I strongly recemend youread it again because it may be confusing. This Chapter is really short and pretty briefbecause I ran out of ideas BUT I've got some stewing around in my head so don't worry! I'll try to get the next one up MUCH quicker. I love you all! PLEASE review!**

"Never let your guard down Brat!" Tsunade shouted as Naruto disappeared over the tree tops. She chuckled at his outraged expression, but then stopped. He had almost beaten her, if they had continued, he would have surely overpowered her. He faught with such a deep consentration, without putting out much effort. Making sure every move was perfect with such a delicate precision.

He really wasn't a child anymore, he was a man now - - - -

A voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Hokage-sama, who are you talking to?" She turned and saw Iruka, Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura standing there.

"Oh someone you need to meet, we were sparing, he should be along in a minute or so. I -" She was cut off again when she heard the bushes on her right being cut away. And out walked (hobbled) the six hooded men from the Ramen shop. (though Tsunade doesn't know who they are still) Hokage noticed the other four imeadiatly bring their guard up as the men stopped in front of her.

"Where issssss Kit?" The leader demanded.

"I don't know who your talking about, the is no Kit here. Now kindly leave my village, now," she replied eyes narrowing. The five men behind the leader hissed in protest.

"Liesssssss, his ssssssscent is all over thiss area. I won't assssk you again, where isssss the Fox Kit?"

_'Could they mean Naruto?'_ she thought.

"There is no Fox Kit here, now leave!" She shouted angerly. The man growled in frustration as they all ripped away their cloaks. Sakura screamed. Tsunade saw that they weren't actually men at all, they were demons. Lizard demons with green scaly skin. They had large upper bodies and legs that bent the wrong way. Their claws were sharp and their teeth were like sabors. They had beady red eyes and a long slimy tongue poked out of and gap in their front teeth. The leader was wrapped in leather that had chains criss-crossing over his chest and legs.

One by one his servants launched themselves at her.

* * *

Naruto was back at the clearing in a matter of seconds. His heart skipped beat. Tsunade was crouched on the ground, bleeding furiously from her side. And Kakashi, Iruka, Sakura, and Sasuke were around her, weapons in hand. Surrounding them was...

"Oujugushi, hm hm hm I should have known." He chuckled a sigh of releaf.

Oujugushi was also a Demon theif, that had many many riches. Unfortunatly for him, Yoko had heard of his wealth and decided to take it for himself. Yoko had taken Naruto on this mission, his very _first_ mission. And while Yoko and Hiei were cleaning out the main vault in Oujugushi's castle, Naruto was sent to slaughter any of Ouju's men if they came their way. He killed over 150 demons that night. But just as he was about to finish off the last of them, someone from Naruto's team called out to him. "Hey Kit! C'mon were finished, let's get outta here!" So they left. Unfortunatly, the demon he was about to kill before he was interrupted had heard them call Naruto by his nickname. So, Ouju's been following him ever since, hoping for revenge. And every time they meet, Naruto slips between his scaly fingers.

Naruto couldn't help himself. He began to chuckle again, this time louder so that the others could hear.

"Master!" one of the Demons yelled. "I hear him! He's here somewhere."

Naruto was laughing by now. A deep sort of laugh, almost a cruel kind of laugh. The kind that vibrates deep in your chest when you hear it. It echoed through the clearing and even made the trees shudder.

He calmed himself down and stood up. Then, crossing his arms he stepped out from behind the bush. All heads imediatly turned towards him. The demons growled and hissed in anger. The others mearly stared in shock and confusion.

"I knew you couldn't hide from ussss forever Kit!" Ouju yelled. Naruto mearly gave him a his classic fox-like grin.

"Ouju, you really musn't dwell on the past it's not healthy..." he said. One demon suddenly lost his temper. He charged at the fox and raised his giant, clawed hand. But when he got within a foot of him, the fox disappeared in a small flicker of black. In less then a blink he reappeared behind it, this time with his katana in hand. He jumped up and slashed upward across it's back, slicing it in two. Blood showered everywhere, splattering across Narutos clothing. The rest of them attacked as well. In a matter of seconds, blood, intrails, and large chunks of flesh littered the ground. The fox demon stood in the middle of it all, soaked in their blood. He raised his katana and wiped the red ooz off onto his shirt and then sheathed it. He looked up and saw the others still watching him, not sure weather to thank him or kill him.

"Hokage-sama, who is that?" Sakura whispered to the woman. Tsunade, however, did not hear her. She was to busy staring at the fox in front of her. Watching him with such a deep admiration. He has no fear and no weakness. He truely is a demon.

"Hokage?..." Iruka said. "Tsunade!" The woman shook her thoughts away and attempted to stand up. The others tried to force her back down but she just swatted their hands away. She sweyed slightly but held herself up, as they all stared at Naruto, his body tensed and he looked down at his feet like a little kid who had just done something bad. He absentmindedly grabbed his tail and began playing with it as he always did when he was nervous. He heard footsteps. More then one set. He reached up and pulled away his mask. The footsteps stopped. The fox couldn't help it, he looked up. Apart from Tsunade, they were all shocked.

"Thats impossible!" Sasuke shouted out suddenly. "NO! Your supposed to be dead!" He cluched his head and dropped to his knees.

"No, no, no, no this isn't happening." He continued to say to himself as Iruka, Kakashi, and Tsunade bent down to help him.

Sakura, however, didn't move. Tears flowed down her pale cheeks as she covered her mouth with her hands. Naruto locked eyes with her and gave her a gentle smile.

"Good morning Sakura-chan."


	7. Pain

Sakura's silent tears turned to quiet sobs. His smile didn't waver as he slowly walked towards her. She watched as he drew closer. He spread his arms slightly in a gentle motion. His eyes were so full of warmth and comfort. It only made her cry harder.

His body suddenly went ridged as his smile turned to a frown. The hairs on the back of Sakura's neck stood on end as a movement behind the fox caught her attention. Ouju, was still alive, but bairly. His head, an arm, and part of his chest were all that was left of him. He emitted a horrible gurgling noise that echoed through the trees, signaling that death was not far from him. With his only arm he raised a giant Nine Hooked Sword. And with the last of his strength, in one final, desprate attempt to win, he threw it... at Sakura. She didn't even have time to scream. The sword was coming at her at an in-human speed. Her eyes shut tight as she waited for the impact.

But it never came. All that was heard was the sound of the blade coming in contact with metal and an agonizing scream of pain. She slowly opened her eyes to see Naruto standing in front of her, blood pouring down from his left shoulder. He staggard for a moment, before falling to the ground.

"Naruto!!!" She screamed and lunged forward to catch his unconsious body.

* * *

Silence. All he could hear was the cold unpleasantness of raw silence. It pounded at his aching head and formed into a dull rushing in his ears. He couldn't hear a thing.

The afternoon had passed fairly quickly after Naruto colapsed. Iruka and Kakashi had transported his body to Tsunade's house to make sure no one saw him. While Sasuke and Sakura made sure Tsunade didn't colapse herself, due to her injuries. Immediatly after she was properly bandaged she, Iruke, and Kakashi went strait to work on Naruto's broken body. Sasuke and Sakura waited for hours outside the room. It was torture for them. Their teamate, supposedly dead, had returned to them... and now they were forced to sit there and hope he didn't die. Torture.

Twice Sakura broke down into a fit of tears, her eyes were starting to become swollen. But Sasuke made no move to help her. He was far to unhappy about the whole situation to move, so he only listened. Listened to the tears, the very same tears that wanted so desprately to fall from his own eyes.

Eventually the door to his room opened and all three adults walked out. They had done the best they could. And because of Naruto's demonic blood, he should recover nicely. So, now all they had to do was wait. Iruka, Kakashi, and Tsunade waited in the living room, with the door to the bedroom opened, while Sasuke and Sakura sat by Naruto's bedside.

Time wasn't moving fast enough for him. Sasuke needed to know. He needed to know how... How can this even be possible. He's supposed to be dead! Sasuke had shed all of his tears for him four years ago. And now he's a demon for goodness sake! How did he get this power? How did he get so strong.

The same word bounced around in his head...

How?

That day stuck in his brain, no matter how hard he tried to shake it...

Four Years Earlier

_Sasuke sat at his usual chair next to Sakura. All the students around them talked quietly amongst themselves. Everyones mood had dropped conciderably in the passed six weeks. They had finally given up there search for Naruto and asumed that he had gone farther then the elders were willing to let the search go... The solomn air was rather suffocating. Now they all sat and waited for the important announcment that Hokage had called. Sakura nudged him in the rib's. _

_"What d'you suppose this is about? All the Sensei's are here... and I don't even think they know. Look they're argueing." She pointed down at the Sensei's that were lined up at the left side of the room. They were all bickering at eachother, but not loud enough for Sasuke to here. The door above them suddenly opened. Hokage emerged, shutting the door behind her, and made her way down the steps. _

_The expression on her face was odd, something that Sasuke couldn't place. It was pained, but at he same time it was emotionless, like she was trying to hold it in. _

_As she reached the front of the room Sasuke noticed that she was holding something in her hand. A letter made of fine rice paper. The edges were lined with black and at the bottom it bore a satin, red bow. He barely caught a glimps of the elegant writing before Tsunade held it up, and without giving an explanation, she began to read. _

"Dear, Konoha, village hidden by the leaves,

I am writing to you on behaf of the one you call Naruto. I regret to inform you that the boy was brutally murdered by a group of thieves several days ago. At this time I must express my deepest sorrow. I also must apologize that nither I ,nor my men, were able to save him.

Signed, Yoko Kurama."

_The silence was deafening. No one took a breath, moved an inch, or even blinked. Then all hell broke loose. The girls, especially Sakura and Hinata, started to cry, even some boys too. But the rest were shouting. Calling Tsunade a liar, cursing whomever did this to Naruto, or arguing with others. Blaming eachother for naruto running away... _

_Sasuke said nothing at all. He sat there listening to all the sorrow around him. Feeling all the different emotions in the room, it was suffocating. He got up, ignoring the noise around him, walked up the stairs and out the door. He bairly noticed where his feet were taking him as he walked down the hall. His head swam with the emotions and all the things he wanted to say, begging to be let out. _

_This couldn't be happening... it just couldn't. _

_Before he knew it, Sasuke was at his house. He opened the door, and walked in. The house was small, almost cramped, but it suited him. A house that was any larger, he would have almost felt... lonely. Sasuke suddenly felt something soft rub up against his ankle. He looked down to find, Yuki, the small black kitten that Sakura had bought him for his birthday... She looked up at him with her large pearly white eyes, and nudged his leg with her head. Sasuke bent down and picked her up. Holding her, on her back, in one arm, he started to rub her stomach. Although he would never admit it, he did like cats. Which is why he never got rid of Yuki... He had even once let Naruto her her stay the night with him... He was so broken up when he had to give her back... It wasn't until now, that Sasuke realized it was raining, with a slight thunder... _

_"Naruto..." He choked out. His grip tightened on Yuki, who gave a slight 'mew'. Sasuke slumped to the ground as he felt something wet slide down his face. _Tears? _He let out a desperate sob, then began to cry. He cried for hours, until he finally blacked out. _


	8. Never

**Chapter 9**

Naruto opened his eyes and groaned. The light peirced his sensitive, gold orbs as he gazed around the unfamiliar room. It was plain and underdecorated, but the room and area surrounding it smelled like Tsunade. _"Must be where she lives..." _he thought as he sat up and streched his arms above his and yawned deeply. Though when he felt resistance on his shoulder, he looked down. A thick white bandage was wrapped around his arm and upper torso. He reached up and ripped it away easily to find that the gash on the back of his shoulder was compleatly healed. Though there was a lot of dried blood on it still. Gazing at the rest of his body he noticed that he was very dirty and still covered in lizard demon blood. When he was about to wrinkle his nose at his own stench, he noticed another scent. Getting up off the bed he crouched down on the floor and began crawling about until he'd sniffed out what he what he was looking for. He raised two clawed fingers and dipped them in the small, red puddle. Waving the blood if front of his face, he inhaled. It was fresh, meaning that he wasn't asleep for more then a day. Then he placed the fingers in his mouth and licked them clean, tasting the metalic substance. It was infected.

A low growl came from deep within his chest and throat.

"Dammit woman, how could you be that stupid..." he muttered quietly to himself. He walked over the the open window where he saw a shirt and pants on the bed-side table, with his katana sitting atop them. He picked up the shirt and looked over every inch of it. It was an exspencive looking kimono top, made of a thick, yet lightweight, cotton material, dark purple in color. Setting it aside, along with the black sash that came with it, he picked up the black pants. They were almost exactly like the ones he was wearing at that exact moment, but were much nicer and weren't torn. He turned them over and noticed a hole cut, with sewn edges, in the backside. He smirked, obviously that was made for his tail. Picking up the rest of the cothing, he turned and noticed a small door, which he assumed was the bathroom. He walked in, and immediatly turned on the shower. He froze and stared at the running water. He couldn't believe he remembered how to do that... The closest thing he ever came to a real shower while he was a theif was the hot spring. Which was nice, but it still didn't have that certain luxery that a real shower had.

Chuckling at himself, he removed his ankle and wrist bandages, as well as the rest of his clothing and stepped into the tub. He scrubbed away the dirt, blood, and grime with a bar of soap until he was clean as could be. Then he picked up a bottle of shampoo and sniffed it. Vanilla. He smiled and poured some in his hand and worked it into his black hair. Massaging his scalp gently with his claws. When he was done, he rinsed the suds away and turned the water off. As he stepped out he flicked his wrist upward, sending a jetstream of air to engulf him, drying him in seconds. He smirked as he put on his new cloths and rewrapped his arms and ankles. He walked out of the bathroom, grabbed his katana, and strapped it to his belt. He then moved to the exit door and opened it only a crack.

He came face to face with a wall, peaking his head out, he peared down the hallway to see other doors; he was up stairs. He tiptoed out and silently shut the door behind him. Walking slowly and lightly down the hall till he came to some stairs. He stood still and listened, but all he heard was two slow, even breaths. By the scent and the chakra, he already knew who it was. But, thankfully, his old comrads were asleep. He walked down the stairs and found himself in a livingroom. And on the couch, was Sakura and Sasuke. He gazed at both of them with a deep longing. They were both at either end of the couch and in very distinctive positions. Sasuke was sitting up right, his cheek leaning on his hand. He was very ridged and held a deep frown on his face. Whereas Sakura, was slumped over the armrest, her hair, which had grown back since Naruto had last seen her, was scattered everywhere. Naruto felt a pang of guilt. Both of them were obviously very upset... He sighed and snapped his fingers. Instantly a large poofy blanket appeared in a cloud of red smoke. He caught it and, ever so carefully, placed it over the both of them, who instinctively snuggled into it. Naruto turned around and caught the smell of rice coming from another hallway to his right. He followed it and found himself in the kitchen. And on the counter, was a pot of rice, to which he helped himself to, and began making six rice balls. He put three each on two plates and made another for himself. Stuffing it in his mouth, he grabbed the plates and walked back into the livingroom where he set them down in front of the others. He smiled and walked over to the open window, and pearched himself on the sill with one leg propped up.

Sakura awoke from her nightmare with a loud gasp. A cold sweat had formed on her face, her breath heavy. She looked down and saw she was covered in a big poofy blanket, as well as Sasuke. She reached over and shook him slightly. He awoke with a small groan and looked at her tiredly.

"Have they returned?" He asked her, his voice cracking slightly. She shrugged and spotted the two plates of Riceballs, and grabbed one. They both ate, once again, in the cold, unforgiving silence.

"Do you hear something?" Sasuke asked as he swallowed his last bite. Sakura paused and listened, straining her ears for any noise.

Then she caught it; it was somewhat highpitched, like a whistle, but much softer, and it seamed to echo. Almost like a constant, never ceasing, sound of a windchime. It was pretty, but at the same time, eerie. They both stood and followed the sound to the open window.

"It's Naruto!" Sakura whispered. He was sitting in the middle of the grass, his arms raised, palms down. His eyes were closed, and on his face he held a look of intense but relaxed consentration. His entire body was glowing in greenish light.

"What is he doing?" Sasuke asked, to himself rather then Sakura. The light around him pulsed and shifted entirely to his hands. He pressed his palms into the ground and almost instantly several plants started to grow. In a matter of seconds, he was surrounded by several of the most interesting, yet beautiful, plants Sakura had ever layed eyes on.

"Come on." She said tugging on Sasuke's arm, who didn't argue. When they reached the outside, Naruto was was gently and pricicely cutting off bits and peices of the plants he'd grown with a pair of small gardening scissors.

"Did you eat the food I left for you?" He asked without looking up. Sakura looked at Sasuke, he looked just as sullen as she felt. And she had no doubt that she had the same look on her own face. But she was confused, they should be happy, extatic that Naruto is alive. But now... all she felt was guilt. And it grabbed her heart like a vice.

"Naruto..." She said causing him to look back at her. The innocent look on his face, as though he had no idea of what she was going to say, caused her memory to go blank. What could she possibly say to him. What he must think of her after all these years.

"I'm sorry... for everything," she started. "Everything I ever said or did to make you feel down. And I know you must hate us for what we did to you but--"

He had raised a hand to silence her, and then smiled and turned back to his plants.

"You remember Gaara?" He asked snip snip. "He and I are the same, almost exactly. He was born with a demon, as was I. Save for one very small, but important, detail that seperates us; snip snip snip he never met the two of you growing up. If it weren't for you two, my only friends at the time...snip... You probibly couldn't tell me and Gaara apart. Therefore snip I could never hate you." He turned and gave them a warm smile. "You two are my best friends."

Sakura could only cry tears of joy as she looked down at her dear friend. He looked so innocent, so forgiving, and kind. She smiled and nodded, Sasuke doing the same. They both sat down next to Naruto, who gave them there own pair of scissors, and he began to tell them all about the plants he was cutting. Both of them were alarmed to find out that many of these plants attacked their hands; needles and things shooting out of the beautiful fowers.

"These came from Demon World didn't they?" Sasuke blurted out after a long silence. It was obvious he had been anxious to ask Naruto this. Not for the sake of the plants, Sakura knew, but to answer the much needed question. Where had Naruto been all these years?

Naruto gave the other boy a very long searching look before he answered.

"Yes."

"Is that where you've been all this time?!" Sasuke asked a little to quickly. Naruto didn't answer, but instead gathered all the bits of plants they'd cut and began to grind them between two stones. While doing this he leisurely waved a clawed hand and instantly a small purple fire erupted out of thin air, with no wood, along with a small stone basin, and a peice of white cloth.

Sakura could feel Sasuke's anger rising from being ignored. She raised a hand to keep him from pressing further.

"What are you making?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

"A special drink for Tsunade." He answered, placing the basin into the purple flames. He then clenched his fist above it and a large bubble of water appeared in his hand. He dropped it into the basin and it started to boil. Next he put all the ground up herbs into the middle of the white cloth and tied it together.

"Where is Tsunade anyway?" He asked as he place the sack into the bubbling water.

"Talking with the other Sensei's." Sasuke aswered, still angery. Naruto nodded and layed down on the grass, staring up at the clouds. He closed his eyes and breathed in deep.

"I forgot how fresh the air is here," he murmured after a few minutes, a cool breeze ruffling his hair and cloths. "The trees are so different in Demon World, it's almost stuffy sometimes."

Both Sakura and Sasuke looked up into the trees, imagining what kind of place that he lived in, when all of a sudden, the sac of herbs started to steam heavily. Naruto sat up and crawled over to it bending low and sniffing the water, which had turned a dark brown.

"Ahh thats perfect," he said sighing, then motioned to them both. "Come and smell." They obeyed and sniffed.

"Spicy," Sasuke concluded, "like cinnamon. What's it for?"

Naruto waved of his hand the flames dissappeared.

"Tsunade is still hurt, this will help to heal her," he replied standing up with the stone bason in hand. "Now, where is she?"

"Her office." Sasuke said.

"You aren't thinking a walking into town are you?!" Sakura shouted.

"No no no of course not," he replied casually. He raised a clawed hand, plams down, straight ahead of him. He murmured something the the others did not recognize. Instantly his hand glowed red and a great black hole appeared in the ground.

The other two inched forward and looking into it, and found themselves staring straight down into the hallway outside of Tsuande's office. Sasuke, clearly interested got very close to the edge and bent down to examine further.

"What is it?" Sakura asked, also curious.

"A portal, instant travel to anywhere you would like to go." Naruto said, matter-of-factly.

"How is this possible?" Sasuke asked cautiously reaching out to it.

"I don't know, but we need to get this to Tsunade as quickly as we can so-" Naruto said jumping straight down into it, landing safely on the other side. He looked up and smiled, then waved for them to follow.

Sakura looked at Sasuke, who seemed lost in his own thought.

"After you," she said. He looked at her but reached out and grabbed her hand.

"Let's go," he replied jumping and dragging her with.


	9. Lost Child

**OKAY! So I finally worked up the inspiration to continue the story. hazaah! BUT, I am making a few changes to the story, and am to lazy to go through each chapter and change them, so im going to tell you now. **

**A- I dont remember why I had gaara in the second chapter, so for now, pretend as though it didn't happen. **

**B- At first I said that Naruto, in his now full demon form, has fox ears. Id like to change that to him having his regular ears, but they're more elven like. **

**C- I have decided NOT to make this a yaoi fic, don't like it? tough... yaoi's are taking over like the plague... as much as I enjoy them, what the hell happened to good old fashioned girl on boy action huh?! **

* * *

Sakura looked up and watched the portal, that seemed attached to the cealing, shrink and disappear. She swallowed and followed Sasuke after Naruto.

The fox demon peeked around the corner and sighed when he saw no one.

They turned the corner and stopped to hear a lot of commotion inside Tsunade's office. Voices, yelling voices, and Naruto had only one guess as to what they were argueing about. The three of them crouched down to eavesdrop. Sasuke and Sakura had to press their ears to the door so they could hear. But Naruto's demon ears allowed him to hear perfectly.

* * *

Tsunade slouched in her desk, rubbing her temples in pain. She was nauseous, she had a headache, and she really wanted to kill everyone in this room. All the sensei's were arguing. Pro-naruto were on her right, anti-naruto were on her left. Ebisu, seemed to be the head of them.

"He cannot be trusted!" he hollered. "Who is to say that he will not lose it and destroy the village like he did last time?"

the four that were standing behind him were those who had lost a great deal when the nine tailed fox laid waist to the village. Ebisu however, was just an ass...

"The seal that contained the nine tailed fox is gone!" Itachi yelled back, in defence. "If Naruto and any weakness in his control over that power, it would have happened by now!"

He had a point.

"The filthy creature is a menace, a fowl beast that doesn't deserve the luxery of our kindness!" Ebisu smirked, and pushed his glasses further up his nose. "We should cast him out imeadiately..."

Everyone to Tsunade's right errupted in a flurry of swears and angry cries. Kakashi and Gai stood behind them not bothering to argue with such an imbicile.

She stood up signaling everyone to shut up. Her head hurt, and she swayed when she got to her feet.

"Look, it's not the question of weather or not he can control the demon within him anymore! He has absorbed the demon completely thus turning his, once human, body into a demon body. There is nothing human about him anymore." She barked at them all, her authoritative tone wavering from her queasy stomach. "Now the question is if the Kyuubi can overpower him now that the seal is gone..."

Ebisu scoffed.

"And how do you propose we do that?" The door opened, and Naruto walked in. He had stood up so fast that he knocked both Sakura and Sasuke to their butt's.

"All you have to do is ask..." He said with a frown on his face and walked over to her desk and set down the basin of liquid. He shot a quick glance in Ebisu's direction. "And by the way...no."

He snapped his fingers and a large goblet appeared in a puff of red smoke. He dipped it in the 'tea', and handed it to Tsunade. Who eyeballed it questioningly.

"The blade that cut you was tipped with poison. You feel nauseous, don't you?" he asked. She nodded weakly.

"Then drink... " he ordered. she did, and almost immediately the color started coming back to her skin. As he smiled, he turned to face veryone else. They were all staring at him like he was an alien. Some were afraid, others were angry, but a few like Iruka, kakashi, and Gai, were watching him with intrigue.

Kakashi stepped forward to stand next to Iruka.

"Naruto, would you care to elaborate on the unanswered question please?" he asked in his usual nonchalant tone. The fox looked at him with and unusual look in his eyes. They were hard, but had a shining mystery about them.

"It's a long story...." He replied putting a hand behind his head. Sakura and Sasuke finally walked in and shut the door.

"We have time." Tsunade said, but the way she said it made it sound more like 'Spill it, now.'

He must have had a look like he didn't want to because Sakura spoke;

"Naruto please! We all thought you were dead, the least you could do is tell us what happened to you!" she yelled, tears welling up in her eyes. He gave her a long hard stare before he sighed and walked over to the window looking out over the entire village. No matter how hard he felt like he didn't belong in Konoha, no where else could ever replace it as his home. And the people as well, those who truely cared about him, he supposed that they deserved and explanation.

* * *

*Four years earlier*

_Naruto awoke feeling odd... He was sore as all hell, but he was so very comfortable. He snuggle deeper into the bed he was laying in- _

_His eyes flew open and he shot up into a sitting position. Where the hell was he?? _

_The memories from the previous day came back to him as he stared around the room. _

'Sakura... Kakashi...Konoha.....and, Hiei.....' _he thought bitterly. He got up and made his way to the open window. What he saw made his skin crawl. _

_Below him was a beautiful scenery of a lake and waterfall, surrounded by trees and flowerbeds. Lush green grass expanded outward until they met up with a wall of mountains that surrounded everything. But when he looked up, he wanted to vomit. The sky was covered in black and purple clouds, swirling with angry energy._

'The Makai...'

_A flash of yellow lighting made him turn around and sit back on the bed. _

_"What the hell have I gotten myself into?!" he shouted to no one in particular. _

_"Hn.." Naruto jumped and saw Hiei standing by the balcony. _

_"Why did you bring me here?!" he demanded frantically. The demon walked past him and opened a closet. He grabbed a pair of black pants and shoes, similar to his own, and a white kimono top with the sleaves cut out. He tossed the items onto the bed. _

_"Put them on, and follow me..." He ordered and walked out of the room. Naruto found himself glaring at the door in frustration. But he reluctantly did as he was told. _

_As much as he hated this situation, he couldn't help but feel extremely curious. A world full of demons... just like him. It scared him to no end, but it excited him as well... it was exhilarating. _

_He met Hiei outside the room and began to follow him down the hall. The hall itself wasn't particularly large, but long, with several other hallways that parted off from it. Pearing down each one, Naruto noticed the many doors that ran along each one. Hundreds of them. The walls and cealing were made of wood and painted a cream color. He looked down and noticed the dark blue carpeting. _

_Hiei was unnervingly silent as the walked down a marble stairway and into a beautiful hallway. On his left was a wall with many fine paintings and intricut vases. _

'Ritzy.." _he thought to himself. And to his right, the entire wall was just nothing but windows that looked over the garden next to the lake. _

_Hiei stopped before they reached a set of grand double doors and turned around. _

_"You will wait here until I says so," he ordered sharply, and turned back around to open the doors. _

'Bossy mother fucker..." _Naruto thought with disdain, until a voice sounded in his head that made him jump. _*I heard that.. baka* _The demons crimson eyes burned into his own for a moment, that made the boy's spine go cold, before he grabbed the door handles and opened them. _

_Imeadiately Naruto's ears were bombarded with noise. The sounds of merry laughter and loud talking combined with silverware clanked against each other. As Hiei disappeared through the doors, Naruto heard a few male voices call out to him, yet their greetings were not returned. _

_He couldn't help himself. He tiptoed forward and peeked around the doorway. His eyes met a large, grand eating hall, with marble flooring and stone walls. Four long tables that ran the length of the room were all filled with- _

_"Demons..." he whispered to himself. Hundreds upon hundreds of them! Some were large and grotesque, or small and scrawny. Some had strange skin colors with razer sharp teeth and claws, while others looked almost human, save for a horn or two coming out of their foreheads. Naruto couldn't explain it, he just felt so... alive, looking at them all. _

_He snapped out of his trance when Hiei reached the other side of the room. There was a smaller table there that ran along the width of the room, in front of the four larger tables. There a few people that sat, but it was the one who sat in the middle that caught Naruto's attention. _

_He sat in a larger chair, with extravagant horns that poked out at the top corners. It was this fact that made Naruto assume he was the leader. He had an unmistakable aura of power about him. He was tall and slender, but very lean, and was dawned in white training clothes. He had long silver hair, along with two long silvery ears that stuck out of the top of his head. His face was stoic and aristocratic. His haunting golden eyes, which were staring at the ground as if deep in thought, shown with knowledge. He leaned casually on his left hand, his fingers pressed to his mouth, as he listen to the person to his left talk. _

_Hiei had walked around the table to the mans right. He leaned down and began speaking into the mans ear. As he spoke, the mans golden orbs glided up and locked with Naruto's, who stood holding the edge of the door. He didn't know why, but he was suddenly struck with fear. That mysterious stare sent chills down his spine; it made him shiver. _

_"HEY!" someone suddenly yelled. A large grey demon with beady yellow eyes had noticed him spying, and stood up. Others stood up as well, he noticed some of them reaching for the weapons, thinking he was an intruder. _

_"Who the hell are you?!" he heard from somewhere. But the fear that was crawling over him clouded his mind. His insticts were telling him to run, but he was rooted to the spot. _

_"Well, well, well boys," someone remarked, laughing. "Looks like we got ourselves a little sneaker." _

_"Get him!" Naruto finally snapped out of his trance and turned. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Hiei and the silver haired man stand up quicky in alarm. _

_Naruto bolted down the hallway, having no clue where the hell he was going. He heard yells and sadistic laughter. Like a game of cat and mouse. He dodged as a knife flew past his face and hit the wall. _

_________ _

_Yoko Kurama stood as the blonde bolted and everyone followed, leaving himself and Hiei alone. _

_"So thats the vessel of the nine tailed fox..." He said as a statement rather than a question. The red eyed fire demon nodded. They both looked towards they doorway when they heard a glass breaking. _

_"Hmmm....." _

_________ _

_Naruto burst through a doorway and found himself in a vast library. He jumped over a table and darted up on top of a bookshelf. Another weapon whized past him. It curved, somewhat like a boomerang, and came back in his direction. He made a mighty leap over it, but as he landed, a knife grazed his shoulder. He winced in pain but never stopped running. Hearing a triumphant laugh, he saw a large window ahead of him. _

_"Shit," he grumbled aloud, and jumped, he turned and tossed three shuriken at his nearest targets. His back hit the glass and he hissed as it cut into his skin. He fell about thirty feet before he flipped and landed on his feet. He continued to run, feeling the blood seep from his back and shoulder. _

_"What the hell did I get myself into?!" he yelled at himself in anger. He found himself at the edge of the lake. Hh skidded to a halt and turned, he was going to fight his way out of this if it was the last thing he ever did. Knee's shaking, he grabbed a kunai from his pouch and found himself face to face with a wall of opponents, all giving him the same sadistic grin. _

_"Oooh look, someone wants to play!" one laughed. "There's only on of you! What are you going to do little man?" _

_He glared back in response and formed a hand sign. _

_"Shadow Clone Jutsu!!" Feeling his chakra rise, he opened his eyes to find roughly a hundred copies of himself, all in a fighting stanse. _

_All the demon eyes widened in surprise. He was about to attack, when an athorative voice rang out. _

_"Everyone, stop!" it said. The croud immediately parted to let Hiei and the silver haired man pass. He stopped in front of Naruto, and crossed his arms, giving him a hard look. The blonde suddenly felt like a child who had stuck his hand in the cookie jar, under that stare. _

_Hiei stood slightly behind the man giving him the same look. _

'What the hell is this?" _He wondered. _

_"Yoko, why are you taking pity on this little whelpling?" One questioned in protest, itching to tear the blonde into pieces. The man, named Yoko, was still giving Naruto that menacing look, once again, making the boy's skin crawl. Suddenly his look softened slightly. He opened his mouth, but paused for a moment- _

_"Because he's my son...."_


	10. Telling

Naruto sat in a large room, a lounge of some sort, in an ornate blue armchair. He was in a daze...

'Father...?' he thought to himself warily as he sipped on a cup of tea. The tall silver haired fox demon stared at him from across a coffee table. He lounged on the right side of a blue couch, one leg crossed over the other, his arm draped over the back. He was giving the blond the same piercing look, as if he was searching through Naruto's very soul.

Naruto suddenly found himself angry. There was no way this could be true, absolutely impossible!

Hiei, who sat behind Yoko at the window seal, shot him a look as if to say, 'get on with it...'

"So you want to explain what the hell all that was about?" he barked with a little more attitude then he meant to. "Why the hell did you bring me here??"

Yoko simply smiled and closed his eyes.

"Well to put it simply, the nine tailed fox was my son," he stated, and continued when he saw the boy's expression. "Years ago, I met a rogue fox demon female. She was wild and untamable. I brought her to my bed-" He smirked at Naruto's blushing face. "The next day she was gone, and I never saw her again. Soon after, I heard rumors that she gave birth to a male with nine tails."

Yoko leaned forward and grabbed his cup of tea, taking a long drink.

"Ok? That only explains part of it..." Naruto began, then he looked over at the fire demon in the window. "Why did you bring me here?"

The raven haired man merely glanced at him, but said nothing, giving Yoko the chance to answer.

"Because your useful," he stated. "The day that the Kyuubi was sealed within you, his energy was was infused with yours. With severe training, you could become a rather powerful demon-"

"No!" the blonde shouted, slamming his cup onto the table. "I don't want to become an uncontrollable monster like him!"

"You wont," Hiei said, having gotten up and stood in front of the blond. Looking down at him with a glare. "Provided that you do everything that we tell you, you as a person will remain in tact."

"He's right," Yoko added. "The bloodthirsty beast that _was_ the nine tailed fox, is long gone, only the spirit remains, which, as of right now, can take control of your human body. But as Hiei said... you do everything that we tell you to do and the spirit will finally dissipate, leaving nothing but his energy which you will absorb, thus completely turning you into a demon."

Naruto looked down at the coffee table, not really sure what to think. What was he going to do? Decline and go home to the same useless life he had? Or accept and become the very thing that he was ostracized for?

"And what if I say no?"

"Then we kill you now," Hiei spat venomously. _Shit._ What choice did he have?

He clenched the cloth of his pants, staring at his knees.

"F.....fine.... I'll do it..." he choked out. Every nerve in his body screaming at him to stop talking.

Yoko stood up and looked down at him with the same serious stare that the fire youkai gave. Both of them looking down at him ominously made him shiver.

"Good," the fox demon said. "You will be in Hiei's charge."

He turned and walked out the door without another word. Naruto briefly noticed someone standing outside it, waiting for him. Hiei turned on him...

"Get up," he ordered, already walking towards the door. "You will be ready at dawn, that is when your training begins. Your room is across from mine, _do not_ bother knocking on my door unless it is an emergency. Understood?"

Naruto nodded as they walked briskly through the hallways. He tried to remember the way to his, and Hiei's room, but they turned around corners, far to many times for him to remember. They stopped in the familiar hallway, and Hiei pointed to the blond's room.

Naruto stood there, watching Hiei turn a corner and disappear. The weight of what he had just done finally landed on his shoulders.

Though what he didn't realize, was exactly how much his world was about to change.....

* * *

"So..." Tsunade began, once Naruto had finished talking. "Your demon father... He must be very powerful to have fathered the Nine Tailed Fox..."

"Well yes, Yoko is powerful, that much is certain...But I believe the raw beastly power that the original Kyuubi possessed came from my demon mother." He contradicted. "But much of Yoko's power resides in his knowledge. Actually when he first told me that he fathered the demon I thought he was kidding. He's far to eloquent...."

Everyone in the room sat in silence, taking in the information that was just divulged to them.

"So how did it happen?" Sakura asked suddenly, her voice shaking.

"What?" He asked. Not being able to find the words, she gestured to his body. "Oh! Yes well, it wasn't easy. For the first three months, I trained everyday to make my body stronger. After that both Hiei and Yoko worked together to alter the seal that Yondaime placed upon me. They made it so that the day I became mentally and physically able, the seal would break and I would absorb the Kyuubi's energy and turn me into a demon."

"Really?" Kakashi mused, thoroughly interested. "And how long did that take?"

"About seven months. And for the next three years I trained as a demon. Learning and studying everything I could get my hands on."

The way he spoke of his new life so passionately, it was as if they were looking at him for the first time. He looked almost beautiful, so at peace, and so comfortable in his new body. It was like he had never been a human.

"That still doesn't explain the letter we got," Tsunade questioned. "The one explaining your death?" Naruto put a hand behind his head and grinned sheepishly.

"Yeah.. well I had gotten so used to the idea of becoming a demon. I don't know, it just felt like something I had to do. I got so driven that I trained harder then my human body could take, and it just kind of... quit. They had assumed me dead and buried me. But I guess the Kyuubi's energy preserved my body until it could recover. But by the time I crawled back out of the earth, Yoko had already sent the letter."

"But it said that you were brutally murdered, by a band of thieves!" Sasuke questioned.

"Technically he wasn't lying... They had all trained me to the point of death..." he replied. "And Yoko, his men, Hiei, and myself are thieves...."

There was a pause, everyone looked at Tsunade. Her eyes were closed in contemplation. Naruto suddenly found himself nervous, and started fiddling with his silky black tail.

"Well," Tsunade opened her eyes. "Good enough for me."

Naruto's eyes lit up lit christmas lights.

"WHAT?!" Ebisu shouted in outrage. "Hokage, clearly the boy is a dangerous beast. You heard him, he learned everything he could in the ways of being a demon. Things he could use against us!"

"Thats it!" Iruka lost his temper and grabbed the man with glasses around the shirt coller. "That may be true but he also saved all our lives yesterday!"

"You disgust me..." Ebisu mocked darkly. "Defending such vile filth!"

The bespectacled man made to slash at Iruka's face, but his fist was caught in an iron grip. They turned to see a deadly copper colored glare. The venom that seeped from the demons retina's could have melted the mans face.

"You, my friend, will not lay a hand on him..." He growled.

"Naruto, Iruka, let him go..." Tsunade ordered and they obeyed. "Now, Naruto, you will go back to my house with Sasuke and Sakura. The rest of us need to speak..."

The demon smiled at her as the other two stood up. He raised a clawed hand, and it glowed red, just like before. Sasuke and Sakura, having already seen this before, jumped into the portal that dropped down into the woman's front lawn. While everyone else just stared at it in shock. Naruto stood there string at the portal with a frown.

"You know..." he began, his smooth voice, deep and ominous. "This time around......... I will not hide myself... not. again."

And with that he jumped, and the portal disappeared. Everyone stared at the floor for a moment.

"So what does everyone think?" She asked. A few mixed responses sounded, all of them sounded unsure.

"What do you think Kakashi?" Iruka asked, looking at the masked man.

"Hmm... I think that this is all rather interesting. When he was human, he was a brat with the horrible temper. But now the he is a demon, it is almost as if he is completely at peace. Think about it... Before, he almost hated himself for what he was, but now he lives in a world where he is accept for what he is. I think, that he would be of more use to the village, rather then harm," he stated.

In the corner, Ebisu scoffed.

"I agree with Kakashi." Gai added, next to him Iruka nodded. "I say we give him a chance!"

Tsunade sighed, having no other choice.

"Fine," she finally said. "But what are we going to do about him? As he said, he will not hide himself anymore. Not that he can, what with those ears and that tail... Plus I cant keep him cooped up in my house forever..."

"Why not let him back into his old apartment?" Iruka suggested. Ebisu choked.

"That's right in the middle of town!" He argued. "We cant just let him waltz through the village! He'll cause a riot!"

Kakashi started to laugh.

"Actually, I think he might enjoy that."

"Focus!!" Tsunade barked. She sighed again, this time in defeat. "That's it, we have to tell the village....... fuck..."

When they had received the letter of Naruto's _death_, the news that HE was the vessel of the nine tailed fox, spread like wildfire through the children of Konoha. Tsunade knew that they, those who grew up with him, would want to know he was alive. But the adults, the ones that treated him like shit, they wont be so forgiving... especially in his current state.

"Hokage-sama." Iruka mumbled. "I'm sure that whatever happens, Naruto is more then capable of handling it."

She nodded in agreement. "So, what do we do?"

* * *

Naruto stood crouched behind a bush, a dagger clutched in his right hand. Eyes squinting for any sign of movement, ears twitching at a slight humming that suddenly sounded to his left. Small rhythmic sounds of metal slicing through the air.

He easily deflected the shuriken, aimed for his head, with his dagger. He could feel Sasuke's eyes glaring at him. Since their sparing had started, Naruto had known all along where the boy was, just from his scent alone. The fox demon smirked; it had taken Sasuke almost thirty minutes to find him. And Naruto could practically feel the anger seeping from the other boy.

He dodged another wave of Kunai and leaped, with ease, into another tree on the other side of the clearing. Sasuke followed him, aiming a blow at his chest. Naruto caught his wrist in an iron grip, and jumped out of the tree, taking Sasuke with him. In mid air, Naruto turned and flung Sasuke towards the ground with blinding speed. The raven haired boy hit the ground with such force that it caused a dent in the earth around him.

Sasuke, not seriously injured but still very sore, looked up to see Naruto standing above him. With much disdain on Sasuke's part, it was clear to both of them who had won. Naruto reached out a friendly hand and helped him up.

"You've gotten stronger," he remarked. Naruto smirked and nodded modestly.

"Yeah, well it comes with the territory." he replied as they walked back to Tsunade's back porch. "I could say the same thing about you. Your at least three times stronger then what I remember."

They sat down on the lounge chairs on the porch as Sakura came out with lemonade for the three of them.

"I'm glad you guys are back," she spoke, mainly to Naruto, as she sat on the railing. "Iruka came by with a message for you."

"What is it?" he asked taking a long sip at his drink. His demon eyes caught the hesitant, nervous look that flashed across her face.

"Uhm well," she said. "Tsunade and the other Sensei's finally came out of their meeting."

"About damn time," Sasuke remarked. They had been in that meeting all night.

"And apparently they've reached a decision..." she continued, ignoring the raven hair boy. "They're going to let you stay, provided that you do everything in your power to help in a crisis."

"Well that's not a problem," he agreed. "Like they even have to ask..."

"Well there is more," she replied, nodding. "She's called a mandatory town meeting for every man, woman, and child in Konoha, for tomorrow morning. And she's going to tell everyone about you."

The demon went ridged, a look on his face that the other two couldn't distinguish. Then all of a sudden, he burst into a fit of laughter. Not a mischievous laughter, but a hearty laughter that came straight from his gut. A laugh that they hadn't heard in four years.

"Oh that's gonna be priceless!" he laughed, tears brimming his eyes. "There is no way i'm gonna miss that!!"

Sakura smiled in response, and turned to looked out over the yard, as he continued to snicker. As she turned away from them, her eyes hardened. She was so very glad to have Naruto back. To here his voice again was like an angel had whispered into her ear. But.... in his _change_, she could not deny the terror that filled her body. He was a demon for pete's sake!

'He was always a demon...' a voice in her head contradicted. Well he wasn't a true demon back then........... Eventually she started having a mental argument with herself about the whole thing, that she almost didn't notice a pair of strong arms wrap themselves around her shoulders.

_*I could never hurt you.....*_ his voice sounded. But she couldn't tell if it was in her head, or he had actually voiced it. He straightened and put his hands behind his head with a goofy grin.

"So are you guys hungry??" he asked and started to walk away. "Cause i'm thinking about making a big lunch."


End file.
